Fragile Things
by laughing on the inside
Summary: The first thing they noticed was the blood. There was so much blood. In the middle of the pool lay Akashi, his clothes soaked and Nigou whining, nudging his unmoving hand as paramedics rushed to his side. Momoi screamed.


A/N: i'm in love with this series and this fandom. I've already got another idea for another KnB fic. I think i'm obsessed.

As with my other oneshot (Dearly Departed), this is another sort of dramatic story.

I'm unsure if I should leave this as a oneshot or continue with it as a longer fic. Please let me know if you'd like me to continue.

The title comes from the Neil Gaiman collection of short stories. Full of odd, interesting stories. One of them was the inspiration for 'Dearly Departed'. Some of the stories in the series went right over my head; bit too deep for me :P

THANK YOU TO MY AMAZING BETA; The Dark Crimson Blood. First time using a beta and it was a great experience. Check them out if you've got the time :D

* * *

**_~ Fragile Things ~_**

_Precious moments are few and far between. The Generation of Miracles learns this the hard way._

_This is how it should be_, Kuroko thought to himself absently.

It was a warm Spring day. The sun was pleasantly shining and the wind was blowing softly. He sat on a park bench at his local basketball court. His sky blue orbs were focused contently on Akashi, Midorima, Murasakibara, Kise and Aomine in a three vs two match. Nigou slept curled up on his lap while Momoi sat beside him, flicking through pictures on her digital camera. She had recently become obsessed with photography and insisted on taking as many group pictures and motion shots as Aomine would begrudgingly allow her.

She laughed excitedly at one of the photos.

"Look, look, Tetsu kun," It was an action shot of Aomine and Kise from moments earlier. Both had terrified expressions on their faces, their arms pinwheeling wildly to keep balance as they fell forward, though in opposite directions. Kise fell towards the right of the picture and Aomine falling left. Kise had attempted to tap the ball from Aomine, who had pivoted at the last moment to keep possession. Kise had flicked his arm out in an attempt to 'copy' the 'eagle spear' from Izuki Shun, but had misjudged Aomine's position and stabbed him in the side, pushing him off balance. Aomine stumbled backward kicking Kise's ankle in the process and both of them were sent sprawling.

In the background of the picture, Murasakibara and Akashi were holding back their laughter and Midorima was rolling his eyes.

Kuroko's mouth twitched upward, "That's a good picture, Momoi san. Please send it to me; I would like a copy for the future,"

"Will do," She grinned.

Kuroko turned back to the game in front of him. He had been playing with them earlier, but because he had run out of stamina, he had decided to take a breather.

_It takes a lot of energy to keep up with them_. Kuroko thought, smiling fondly at his friends. Since he had decided to sit out, the teams were now uneven. Kuroko looked on amused; Aomine and Midorima were getting their butts kicked by Akashi, Kise and Murasakibara.

It had been going well for the two initially; they were playing with only half the court and whenever a basket was scored and the ball was passed to them, Midorima would stand in the centre circle and make a three pointer from the half-court line. He had informed them that Oha Asa predicted this day to be the best luck for Cancer.

Eventually, Kise started copying him and the two began trading three pointers. Aomine quickly grew bored of playing like this and decided to take things up a notch by snatching the ball from Kise the moment it landed in his hands, resulting in a much more exciting game.

After another ten minutes of play, Akashi took a time out so that the other four could play a two on two game. He made his way over to Kuroko and Momoi and took a seat on the bench. Momoi passed him a towel and began excitedly showing him some of the pictures she'd taken earlier.

Kuroko watched as Akashi smiled at the photos. He spoke softly, praising her for having a good eye and asking her to send the photos to him as well. When she flicked to the picture of Aomine and Kise, his matching crimson eyes lit up with amusement.

Kuroko couldn't help the small smile that tugged on his lips.

_Yes, this is definitely how it should be_.

After the Winter Cup a couple of months earlier, he had finally accomplished his goal; he'd toppled the Generation of Miracles. Even more importantly though, he'd made them remember their passion for the sport that they all held dear. He knew that it would take time for them to adjust; major changes don't occur overnight, but he was willing to wait.

When Momoi had called him to suggest that they all meet up Sunday to hang out and play basketball, it seemed like a dream come true. Back when they were battling it out for the Winter Cup, he hadn't dared to imagine how perfectly it could all turn out.

But here they were; the seven of them, having fun, playing basketball, chatting, laughing and putting the past behind them. It had even become a tradition. Every second Sunday, the seven of them, plus Nigou, would gather at Kuroko's local basketball court and they'd play until they felt hungry. When they did, they would go together to the local Maji burger for lunch.

"Arf!" Nigou barked as he began to stir. He noticed the basketball game going on and leapt from Kuroko's lap to join in the fun on court. The Generation of Miracles had taken it in turns to teach the puppy how to play basketball. Nigou had shown surprising talent and could now pass efficiently to the others by jumping up and headbutting the ball to whoever was closest. Since he was a dog, and had no concept of 'teammates,' Nigou's play added an interesting element of randomness to each match.

Momoi squealed at the adorable sight and jumped up to take pictures.

Akashi laughed as Nigou intercepted a pass between Midorima and Kise, knocking it enthusiastically toward Aomine, "Nigou certainly takes after you in more than looks,"

Kuroko nodded with a fond smile. There was a companionable silence between the two of them as they watched their friends play. Kuroko turned to Akashi.

"Akashi kun?" The crimson haired teen looked over to Kuroko.

"Thank you for making the time to come all the way here," Kuroko knew that it took Akashi nearly two hours to commute in and he really did appreciate the effort Akashi went to.

Akashi shook his head, "I want to be here, Kuroko," He smiled wistfully, "I really did miss this,"

Even though all of the Generation of Miracles had changed since the Winter Cup, Akashi had changed the most. He no longer spoke with his cold, intimidating voice and he had also reverted to addressing people by their last names, as he used to do in their early Teiko days. His eyes had also changed back to their original monochromatic scarlet. But Kuroko thought that the biggest transformation, more so than even the physical change in his eyes, was his smile.

It was the warm, satisfied smile he used to share with them after a match well played.

This smile had all but disappeared when they started their second year at Teiko and Kuroko didn't realise how much he had missed it.

"It's good to have you back, Akashi kun,"

Akashi must have seen something in Kuroko's eyes. Perhaps it was guilt at what he was implying, or possibly a fear that these precious moments they shared were fleeting. It was a scared fragility; as if he knew how precarious these times were and that anything could tip the balance back to those dark, lonely days.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kuroko. I promise I'll be the captain and friend our _team_ deserves,"

The doubt in Kuroko's eyes receded and he nodded with a small smile.

Eventually, the group of friends grew hungry and decided to make their way to Maji burger where only Akashi, Momoi and Midorima ate normal meals. Aomine ate enough to feed a small infantry unit while Murasakibara ate only desserts. Kise drank only a chocolate milkshake, since he knew he would be modelling that afternoon and Kuroko had his customary vanilla milkshake.

They chatted about school and upcoming tests. They teased Kise about his terrible grades, though he argued that Aomine was dumber than he was; he only scored better because he stole Momoi's notes. Aomine argued loudly with the blonde, which led to Kise sobbing theatrically and hiding behind Kuroko.

Soon the time came for them to depart, each needing to prepare for the upcoming week.

"See you guys next time!" Kise yelled as he dashed off to his photo shoot.

"Bye Ki-chan!" Momoi called as she waved goodbye to the blonde.

"We're going to the station," Midorima said pointing down the road.

"We're heading that way," Aomine replied, pointing toward the residential areas.

They said their goodbyes to each other, but before they moved to depart, Akashi locked eyes with Kuroko, "Let's play again,"

"Again and again," Kuroko replied evenly.

"As many times as you want," They said together. It had started as a joke, but turned into a promise. Now it was their farewell ritual and they shared a lop-sided grin.

Aomine and Midorima rolled their eyes, "You guys are so lame," they said in complete synchronisation. Momoi burst out laughing as the two glared at each other. They continued glaring even as they parted ways, Akashi, Midorima and Murasakibara heading to the station while Aomine, Momoi, Kuroko and Nigou headed towards the residential area.

When the turn off came, Kuroko bumped fists with Aomine and shared a hug with Momoi and said he'd see them next time.

* * *

Two weeks later, Akashi stood alone on the court. He bounced his basketball a couple of times then absent-mindedly twirled it atop his finger. He was the first to arrive that day, which was odd. Normally Kuroko was the earliest, usually followed by Kise or Midorima. Aomine and Momoi were invariably late, mostly because of Aomine's laziness, and Murasakibara was half and half.

He shrugged to himself and paced up and down the court, still spinning the ball on his index finger as he ran through a mental checklist of things he had to do for the upcoming week. He was broken out of his reverie when a familiar bark reached his ears. He looked up, shifting his gaze across the road where Nigou stood with his usually lopping tongue and wagging tail.

Akashi looked around, but was unable to spot Kuroko anywhere. He thought this was odd and halted the spinning ball on his finger. He caught it in the palm of his hand and bounced it over toward the bench where he had left his gym bag, deciding to cross the road to where Nigou was.

Nigou, however, noticed the bouncing ball and barked enthusiastically. The basketball-loving dog ran forward, eager to play, heedless of the criss-crossing traffic before him.

Akashi swore and dashed forward. A car horn blared. Tires screeched. A loud bang. Darkness.

* * *

"Dai chan, you have to get a new alarm clock! I'm not going to wake you up forever," Momoi scolded her childhood friend as they made their way to the courts.

"Shut up Satsuki, I'll do it on the way back, okay?" Aomine brushed off her constant pestering.

"Hmph," Momoi frowned. As the pair rounded the corner, they noticed Kise coming from the opposite direction.

"Ki chan!" Momoi greeted him happily.

"Oh, Momoicchi, Aominecchi! Late as usual, huh?" Kise laughed.

"You know why," Momoi replied, sending a pointed look to Aomine, who ignored her, "Why are you late, Ki chan?"

"Morning photo shoot. I was up at 7:30 this morning," He said giving a small yawn, "It was supposed to be scheduled for 11 but I changed it so that I could come and meet up with you guys,"

"See, Dai chan, Ki chan makes an effort!" Momoi frowned at her childhood friend.

"The idiot's going to give himself wrinkles, then I'll laugh when he gets pulled from those stupid magazines,"

"I don't have wrinkles!" Kise protested.

As they were passing the Maji burger they noticed Midorima and Murasakibara at the lights.

"Midorimacchi! Murasakibaracchi!"

"Why are you guys are late?" Momoi asked.

"Train was delayed," Midorima replied simply.

"I forgot my snacks at home so I had to go back and get them," Murasakibara replied holding up his ever-present grocery bag full of candies.

"That's so…" Midorima began but was interrupted by a blaring death metal ringtone.

"Oh, sorry, that's me!" Momoi said. The others, excluding Aomine who had heard it before, looked at Momoi oddly for her choice in ringtone.

"She's got shit taste in music," Aomine supplied, earning an angry poke from Momoi.

"Hello?" She said into the receiver, "Oh, Tetsu kun! Hi, What's up? Really? That's terrible, we'll come help you look! Yeah, I'm with Dai chan, Ki chan, Midorima kun and Muk chan. Oh, okay, we'll go meet up with him then come back to your house? You're going to the courts? That's fine, see you soon then,"

"What was that about, Momoicchi?" Kise asked.

"Tetsu kun said that he left the door open this morning and by the time he realised it, Nigou had disappeared,"  
"Crap, did he want us to go back to his place to help him look?" Aomine asked with concern.

Momoi shook her head, "He told us to go meet Akashi first and he'll come meet us at the court. He said that Nigou likes the basketball courts so he might have gone there,"

"Let's hurry, then," Kise suggested.

The five of them ran down the street. As they got closer to the courts, they heard the blaring of car horns and an ambulance siren.

"What's going on?" Momoi asked curiously.

They approached the intersection. The first thing they noticed was the blood. There was so much blood. It was shock of red against the dark bitumen. In the middle of the pool lay Akashi, his clothes soaked and Nigou whining, nudging his unmoving hand as paramedics rushed to over to him.

Momoi screamed.

* * *

Kuroko sat in the hospital waiting room. The rest of the Miracles stood around him in the hallway. They were all anxious to hear any news they could about their friend. Momoi was crying into his shoulder. Dogs weren't allowed in the hospital, so he had taken Nigou home, then rushed to the hospital that Akashi was taken to.

"_Kurokocchi!" Kise had yelled when he saw Kuroko approaching. Kuroko made his way through the crowd, jostling his way passed the gawkers._

_Kuroko paled. There was a lot of blood on the ground. There was police tape and paramedics gathered around a gurney. Strapped to it was an unconscious Akashi._

"_What happened?" Kuroko asked in his deadpan voice. There were too many emotions to process._

"_They said that he ran into traffic to save Nigou," Midorima said steadily, though, like the others, he looked visibly shaken._

"_Is Akashi kun okay?" He asked._

"_They don't know,"_

"Excuse me, are you kids here for Akashi Seijuurou?" A doctor wearing green scrubs broke Kuroko out of his reverie.

Midorima spoke up. He had filled out the forms on Akashi's behalf and had supplied Akashi's contact information. The doctor recognised him instantly, since Midorima's father was one of the senior doctors in the hospital. He conversed quietly with Midorima.

The doctor then turned to face the rest of the group.

"Akashi kun's father has been called, but he is unable to get here any earlier than tomorrow,"

Midorima snorted, while Aomine, Kise and Murasakibara growled. Kuroko kept his face passive. They all knew about Akashi's father and how he pushed the boy to the limits. The man refused to drop his work even when his only son had just been hit by a car. It made them all furious.

"Please tell us if Akashi kun will be okay," Kuroko spoke calmly, though he could feel a pit of sinking dread in his stomach.

The doctor nodded. "He lost a lot of blood. He went into shock and they had to restart his heart in the ambulance…

"Akashi kun's heart stopped? Does that mean he died?" Kuroko asked, a slight edge of panic creeping into his voice.

"Yes. He was clinically dead for less than 2 minutes, though. This should not have been enough time to cause any permanent damage. The paramedics were able to defibrillate him successfully. He was touch and go for a while, but he's stable now. He should be moved out of ICU within the hour and into the private room his father has requested. It doesn't look like he's sustained any major head wounds, but we won't know the extent of any damage until he regains consciousness. You are welcome to visit him, but only one in the room at a time,"

Once Akashi was moved to his private room, they took it in turns to wait by his bedside.

It was nearing midnight as Kuroko started his shift. The others were asleep in the hallway. Kuroko stared at Akashi's bandaged torso and the IV drip from his hand. Machines were attached to his heart to make sure it was still beating. The soft beeping and the slow rise and fall of his chest were the only indications that he was alive.

"Akashi kun," Kuroko spoke softly, "We're supposed to play again and again. Don't break our promise,"

Almost as if in response to his words, Akashi began to stir. He groaned slightly, then lifted his hand to his head, pressing it to his temple. He gave a violent cough, then sat up slowly. He was facing away from Kuroko, looking around the room.

"Akashi kun?" Kuroko whisepered.

Akashi turned to face him

Kuroko felt the blood drain from his face.

"Tetsuya," He said, "Please explain to me why I am here," His voice was cold and furious. It promised pain and anguish for whoever put him in his current state. But the most chilling thing of all was the icy gaze he pinned him with.

Kuroko opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. He felt nothing but fear as he stared in shock, meeting Akashi's narrowed glare.

Twin orbs of gold.

* * *

End of Chapter 1

According to my stats:

No gold eyes = nice Akashi

One gold eye = try-to-stab-you-in-the-face-with-scissors/threaten-to-kill-your-parents Akashi

Two gold eyes = apocalyptically-unstable Akashi

Fun times.

Did the real Akashi die in the ambulance? Is he gone forever? How will the rest of the GoM react?

If you know the answers to these questions, please tell me, because I have no clue!

May or may not continue, depends on inspiration and popularity of the story. If anyone's got any ideas, please feel free to let me know.

If you enjoyed or would like to give some feedback or some love, drop a review :)

:D Laughing on the Inside :D


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